Note: this blog post was initially published on 5/20/21 and updated on 12/1/2025
It’s officially spring here, and we already had the first tornado of the season. Just some minor damage on the outskirts of town, but it makes a person think about getting important papers organized and grabbable in an emergency. For business and practice owners, you're looking at managing complexity on two fronts: your personal financial life and your business. When an emergency strikes - whether it's a natural disaster, sudden illness, or unexpected death - the stakes are even higher. Not only does your family need access to critical information, but your practice needs continuity planning to protect your patients, staff, and the business you've built.
This is why creating an emergency notebook isn't just good personal planning; it's essential business planning. Think of it as your practice's insurance policy that isn't actually an insurance policy. It's the roadmap that helps others step in and keep things running when you can't.
Documents to Include
We put together a list below of the types of documents that would be useful in various emergencies. The paperwork you would need varies based on different types of situations.
Some people want to be organized in the event of their death, so a family member would know where to find things. Others want to organize a to-go notebook that you would need in a weather emergency like an earthquake, hurricane, fire or tornado, depending on what part of the country you’re in.
In a perfectly organized world, you’d keep all these documents in a handy notebook, customized based on the type of emergency you’re planning for. With the complexity of our clients’ lives, many find that getting all of their emergency information and documents into one notebook is too ambitious. It might make sense to think about a password-protected online or electronic version, for saving space and easy access.
To get started, here are some of the documents and information that would be useful, no matter the reason for the notebook:
- Identification (copies of)
- Drivers’ licenses, passports, etc.
- Health Insurance cards
- Social Security cards
- Birth and marriage certificates
- Military documents
- Important Contacts – names, phone numbers, email addresses
- Insurance agent
- Physicians
- Veterinarian
- Family & friends
- Neighbors
- Financial planner
- Investment managers
- Trust Officers
- Bankers
- Attorneys
- CPA
- Financial Information
- Balance Sheet of all assets and liabilities
In Case of Sickness or Death information
- All of the above, plus
- Keys to safe deposit boxes
- Account and device passwords
- Powers of Attorney
- End-of-Life directives
- Funeral preferences
- List of life insurance policies, where they’re stored
- Location of other important documents
In Case of an Evacuation Emergency
- All of the above, plus
- Recent photos of every family member & pet in case you’re separated.
- Keys to all properties, cars, etc.
Personal Emergency Notebook vs. Practice Emergency Notebook
Many of our dentist clients find it helpful to maintain two separate emergency notebooks:
Your Personal Emergency Notebook contains all the documents we've discussed - family information, insurance policies, estate documents, and personal financial accounts. This stays at home in a secure but accessible location, and your spouse or trusted family member should know exactly where to find it.
Your Practice Emergency Notebook lives at your office (with a backup copy off-site) and focuses on business continuity. This ensures that if something happens to you, your practice can continue serving patients without missing a beat. Your office manager, business partner, or designated successor should know where this is and how to use it.
The practice notebook should include:
- Key vendor and supplier contacts (dental supply companies, equipment maintenance, IT support)
- Staff emergency contact information and roles
- Patient communication templates for emergencies
- Banking and payroll information
- Insurance policies (malpractice, business liability, property)
- Software access and passwords (practice management system, scheduling, billing)
- HIPAA compliance documentation and emergency procedures
- Lease agreements and landlord contact information
- Business loan documents and financial account access
- Succession planning documents or buy-sell agreements
The Documents Dentists Often Forget
Through our years of working with dentists, we've noticed certain documents that often get overlooked:
Personal:
- Disability insurance policies (both individual and any group coverage)
- Professional association memberships and benefits
- Student loan documentation (especially if you're working toward Public Service Loan Forgiveness)
- Continuing education records and license renewal information
- Information about any side work or consulting income
Practice-Related:
- Associate or partnership agreements
- Buy-sell agreements (critical if you have partners)
- Equipment leases and service contracts
- Professional liability insurance
- State dental board license information
- DEA registration documentation
- HIPAA compliance records and breach notification procedures
- Employee benefit plan documents
- Practice valuation reports (if you have them)
Practical Implementation: Creating Digital Backups That Actually Work
Everyone talks about backing up important documents digitally, but let's be honest, most people either don't do it or don't do it well. Here's what actually works:
The Cloud Storage Method: Use a secure cloud service like Google Drive, Dropbox, or iCloud. Create a folder called "Emergency Documents" and scan everything into it. Use strong passwords and enable two-factor authentication. Share access with your spouse or a trusted family member. The advantage? It's accessible from anywhere, even if your home burns down.
The USB Drive Method: Some people prefer a physical backup they can control. Get a high-quality USB drive, load your scanned documents onto it, and store it in your safe deposit box or give it to a trusted family member. Just remember: USB drives can fail, so update it regularly and consider having two.
The Hybrid Approach: Keep your physical notebook organized at home, maintain digital copies in the cloud for accessibility, and keep a USB backup off-site for redundancy. Yes, it's more work upfront, but it's worth it when you need it.
A Word About Passwords: Your emergency notebook should include a master list of important passwords and account access information. If you use a password manager (which we recommend), make sure the master password for that manager is written down in your emergency notebook. We've seen too many situations where critical accounts were locked because no one knew how to access the password manager.
When to Update Your Emergency Notebook
Creating an emergency notebook is a one-time project, but keeping it current is an ongoing commitment. Set a reminder to review and update your notebook at these trigger points:
- Annually, every January (tie it to tax prep season when you're already gathering documents)
- After major life changes: marriage, divorce, birth of a child, death of a family member
- After significant financial changes: buying or selling a home, opening or closing accounts, taking out loans, making large purchases
- After practice changes: hiring a new office manager, purchasing new equipment, moving locations, bringing on an associate, considering retirement
- When contact information changes for any professional advisors (attorney, accountant, financial planner)
- After updating your estate plan or any insurance policies
Don't let this become one of those "someday" projects that never gets done. Block 30 minutes on your calendar right now to start, even if you just create the binder and gather a few key documents. Progress beats perfection every time.